


Listen to Me

by Purplesauris



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Prompt Fic, Protective Ryan, Ray receives Twitter hate, Ryan to the rescue, only a teeny bit though, thanks to the anon for the idea, this was fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-16
Updated: 2015-01-16
Packaged: 2018-03-07 20:40:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3182417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purplesauris/pseuds/Purplesauris
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ray is withdrawing from everyone, staying behind during lunch and locking himself away in his apartment. Ryan finds that Ray keeps staring at his phone, and it gets so a point where Ryan has to do something, anything to try and help Ray.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Listen to Me

**Author's Note:**

> Third prompt down, one to go! If you'd like to send in a prompt, I am gladly accepting prompts! They can be most any ships, and if you send it to me off anon I'll talk with you and get a better feel for what you'd like to see! As always, like the fic? Hate it? Tell me so at purplesauris.tumblr.com!

For all the years that he’d been working for Achievement Hunter, Ray had always loved it. Loved how he got to play video games and excel at his job with a skill he had naturally. Ray is a pretty chill person, and he rolls with whatever is thrown his way, whether it be an influx of editing or a sudden want to do a stream. Overall, Ray doesn’t regret moving from his home in New York to Texas, where he’s made so many great friends and met such great people that make his life so much more meaningful.

It’s after two years of working for Roosterteeth that he suddenly seems a lot more weary and just plain tired all the time. The first time Ray is asked about if he was feeling okay was after a long day of recording and he was oddly silent, so much so that Geoff commented and asked him if he was feeling alright. Ray didn’t say anything then, but Ryan notices the way his shoulders slump and his eyes seem dull behind his glasses. The second time it happens Ray is sitting at his desk, phone thrown haphazardly as he rests his forehead against the wood, looking utterly defeated. Jack clears his throat and touches Ray’s shoulder, causing him to quickly grab his phone and sit up.

“What’s up?” Ray is completely composed, but Ryan keeps his eyes on Ray’s face, noting the way it falls once Jack is appeased and back in his seat. Ray stares at his phone for a few minutes before muttering about going on his lunch break.

Ryan doesn’t miss the way that during lets plays when Ray is smiling and laughing along with the rest of them it doesn’t seem as genuine. Ray’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes anymore, and Ryan’s heart clenches with guilt over not having seen what was happening before. Ryan doesn’t know what’s making Ray so upset, but he knows he’s struggling by how quiet he goes a lot, preferring to sit by himself or stare at his phone at random times. Geoff ends up sending Ray home, telling him to get some sleep because everyone can see how badly he’s struggling. Ray is out of the office for three days before he comes back, seeming a little better and certainly more energetic. It doesn’t last long, and before Ryan knows it Ray is back to curling into himself and shutting everyone out.

Ray takes a sick day out of the blue during one of the slower weeks, and Ryan has a bad feeling. Ray is back the next day of course, but he looks worse than usual, clothes disheveled and bags under his eyes. Ryan stops Ray once everyone goes out for lunch, Ray opting to stay behind and Ryan doing the same. Ray doesn’t seem to notice that Ryan is even in the office, immediately slumping over and burying his face in his arms. Ryan walks over to Ray softly, touching his shoulder as Ray jerks in surprise, looking up at Ryan with watery eyes. “Ray, what’s wrong?”

“N-nothing is wrong. Just allergies.” Ray wipes at his eyes, and Ryan sighs before hauling Ray to his feet. Ray grumbles out a protest but Ryan will have none of it, hugging Ray fiercely. Ray pauses only momentarily before he’s hugging Ryan back with just as much ferocity, gripping the back of Ryan’s shirt tight.

“You don’t have to close yourself off from us Ray, we’re your friends. We want to help you.” Ray sniffles, pressing his cheek against Ryan’s chest as Ryan rubs Ray’s back.

“It’s nothing, really. I’m just struggling a little bit.” Ray doesn't delve further into details, but Ryan is content to hold Ray until he’s comfortable enough to tell Ryan. By the time the others are back from lunch Ryan is napping in his chair while Ray listens to music, editing a video and chewing on his hoodie string. He jokes around with Michael and Gavin and comments on Gavins weird mustache, saying he looks kind of like a pedo.

~*~

It becomes an everyday occurrence, Ryan will stay behind during lunch and just sit with Ray, holding him close as Ray fights back tears. It’s a bit of an odd relationship, but Ryan doesn’t care. He finds that the more time he spends with just Ray, even when he’s crying in Ryan’s arms, makes Ryan fall that much harder. Ryan makes a habit of kneading at the back of Ray’s neck where the most stress seems to knot his muscles. Ray seems to do better on the days where him and Ryan lay together, but one day Ray blows up on Ryan, angry tears in his eyes.

“Don’t fucking touch me! You get your hands off of me right now!” Ryan stands shell shocked as he quickly pulls his hands back, stumbling when Ray shoots to his feet and shoves Ryan back. “Why can’t you just leave me alone? Why don't you just let me be the piece of shit that everyone says I am?!” Ryan’s eyes are wide, and his mouth opens and closes without a word. “I can’t take all this pretending! I can’t pretend to be alright anymore! I won’t! Let everyone see that I’m a huge fuck up who can’t do anything right! I don’t care anymore.”

Ray stands there fuming, but the silent calmness that steals over Ryan’s face scares him more than if Ryan were to yell right back at him. “Don’t you ever say that again, Ray.”

“I’m only saying what everyone else thinks.”

“That’s bullshit, Ray. Everyone here loves you, we all care about you.”

“Well great job! Great job loving a talentless, humorless, ugly gay.”

Ryan blinks, strangely hurt by what Ray is calling himself. “Where are you getting this from? All these assumptions that you’re talentless? That you aren’t funny, or that you aren’t attractive? Because it sure as hell isn’t coming from any of us.”

Ray unlocks his phone, shoving it towards Ryan, who takes it and peers at the screen. It’s Ray’s twitter account, and his notifications are blowing up at an almost constant rate. Comments shaming him for who he is, calling him ugly and stupid and worthless and a whole hell of a lot worse that makes Ryan’s blood boil. Ryan clicks the screen off, looking at Ray calmly. “They seem to see something you all aren’t.”

“They’re wrong. You are talented, Ray, you are phenomenal at video games and you are so kind to other people. You are funny, Ray, I find myself waiting for whatever your comeback is because I know it’ll be a good one. I laugh at your jokes more than I laugh at any one elses.”

“I don’t need your-”

“Hush. I’m not finished.” Ray’s lips press into a thin line but he doesn’t interrupt again. “You are so, so far from ugly, Ray. You have this confidence about you that draws people in, puts them at ease when they’re around you. When you smile it’s like the whole room gets brighter, your dimples stand out and your eyes are so warm.” Ryan’s ears are warm from his rambling, but he doesn’t stop there. “As for the fact that you’re gay? So what? A lot of people are, Ray, there’s no changing that. Your sexuality doesn’t define you, and it certainly does not mean that you are somehow worth less than anyone else. You are a talented, hilarious, beautiful person who just so happens to be gay and you are _amazing_.”

Ray gapes at Ryan, Ryan's ears and cheeks red as he admits all of this. “I.. You..”

“What those people are saying, it isn’t true. They’re jealous, they’re hateful, but that doesn’t mean they tell the truth. I’m telling the truth, anyone else in this office will tell you the truth, but those people online are doing this on purpose to upset you.” Ray’s eyes water and all his anger disappears, Ray’s face crumpling as he sobs, crying like a child as Ryan hugs him and wipes away his tears.  

“I-I’m sorry Ryan.. Everyone had been saying it for so long that I believed them and I thought no one cared.. But you started staying behind with me and I got so confused.”

“We’re here for you, Ray. We’ve got your back no matter what.”

Ray sniffles and tries a small laugh, breath catching on the noise. “R & R Connection?”

“R & R Connection.” Ryan places a kiss on the top of Ray’s head just as the others come in with a whirlwind of noise. They all stop when they see Ray’s watery eyes and Ryan’s arms wrapped protectively around Ray. Gavin is the first to break away from the group, silently coming forward and wrapping his arms around the both of them. Ray’s eyes widen as everyone else does too; Michael, Geoff, Jack, even Lindsay all crowd around the two of them, hugging Ray and Ryan. Ray starts crying again as Ryan smiles down at him, silently saying ‘See? They all understand.’

Geoff ruffles Ray's hair, giving him a grin. "Those guys don't mean dicks, dude." Ray nods, wiping away tears as everyone goes to their seats, Lindsay kissing Ray's cheek before kissing Michael goodbye, walking out. Ryan is the last one to leave, smiling softly at Ray before he nudges him to go sit down. They record a video later that day, and Ray is a lot more enthusiastic than he was before, and for the first time his smile reaches his eyes.

~*~

Someone starts leaving small gifts or post it notes on his desk, complimenting him and reminding him that he's important. Lindsay, Michael, Geoff and Gavin all make public statements on Twitter, shaming the people who are being so horrible to Ray. The insults slowly stop, until it's just the usual offhand comments on videos that none of them read. Ray seems to get better, Ryan staying behind in the office even after Ray says he doesn't have to.

Ryan actually gets up one day, and Ray can't help but feel a little disappointed. Ryan grabs his keys, staring expectantly at Ray while Ray frowns in confusion. "Come on, I'm taking you out for lunch."

"Oh, uh alright." Ray saves everything and gets up, following Ryan out to his truck.

"Have you been getting more sleep?"

"Yeah, it's easier to sleep now." Ryan smiles as he glances at Ray out of the corner of his eye.

"Good. Anything on your mind?"

"Nah not really. Someone's been leaving me stuff and really nice notes, though."

"Oh?" Ryan pulls up to a pizza place and the two stroll into the shop, taking a booth near the back.

"I kinda wanna know who's leaving all the notes so I can thank them. You're in the office a lot, have you seen anyone setting stuff on my desk?" Ryan orders softly while Ray's talking, listening to both the waiter and Ray.

"Can't say I do. It's always already there." Ray looks suspiciously at Ryan over his glass of pop, Ryan sipping at water. Ryan arches a brow and Ray sighs, shrugging and taking a larger drink.

"I'll find out eventually. I'm sneaky." Ryan laughs softly as the pizza comes out, the two of them digging into the greasy treat.

"Like a ninja." Ray snickers and looks down at his slice of pizza, a bit of sauce smeared on his upper lip which he promptly licks off.

"Dude this pizza is really good, how'd you find this place?"

"I like to drive around late at night. I saw it and came back the next day."

"Why do you drive around?"

"Helps me clear my head when I'm feeling stressed. If you want you can drive around with me sometime."

"That sounds nice." The rest of the meal goes by in relative silence, but it's a comfortable silence. Ryan pays for the meal, saying that he offered to bring Ray out so its only right for him pay. "You're a regular Georgia gentleman."

Ryan laughs and a soft accent deepens his voice. "My mama sure taught me right."

Ray's cheeks are warm as he laughs, stomach bubbling at the sound of Ryan's natural lilt. "Why do you hide your accent?" The two load into his truck, Ray climbing up slightly.

Ryan shrugs as he pulls out into a busy street. "Talking without it makes it easier for people to understand me."

"Pfft, it's not even that bad. I like it."

Ryan's voice is soft, but Ray catches the words. "Thank you, it means a lot."

"You're welcome Rye-bread."

~*~

It's during one of the GTA lets plays they do that Ryan gets upset. He shifts around in his seat angrily, glaring at his screen and gripping his controller tight. "Can y'all stop fucking around for two seconds?" Ray looks over at Ryan in surprise, Ryan's voice heavy with anger and his accent clear as day.

"Ryan the y'all guy over here." Geoff jokes, Ryan blowing air from his nose like a bull.

"Guys just lay off for a minute." Everyone looks towards Ray in surprise as he watches Ryan’s shoulders relax, eyes shut tight as he takes a few deep breaths. The others get distracted by Gavin fucking something up and Ray sends a quick look Ryan’s way, raising an eyebrow. Ryan smiles gratefully at Ray, mouthing ‘later’ before they jump back into the lets play, Ray watching Ryan occasionally as his voice returns to normal and he jokes around with Geoff.

Gavin runs around in the game, messing with stuff and generally causing mayhem. Gavin accidentally blows himself up with a grenade while trying to kill Michael, Michael laughing at the poor display.  

“Gavin you’re an idiot.” Michael’s tone is more teasing than actually accusing, but Gavin pretends to be offended nonetheless.

The lets play ends with Gavin screaming as he inevitably fucks everything up and Michael’s laughter filling the room, Ryan laughing quietly and Geoff howling with laughter. Ray grins, making sure all his footage and audio is saved, feeling a pair of hands lightly rest on his shoulders as Ryan leans over the chair, smiling as Ray laughs. “What is this? Spider man?”

“Do you want it to be?” Ray snickers, reaching up and cupping Ryan’s cheeks. Ryan’s eyes are a little wide, and the angle is a little weird, but Ray makes it work as he presses forward, placing a sweet kiss on Ryan’s lips.

Ryan’s eyes close as he parts his lips, letting Ray run his tongue over Ryan’s, gasping and jerking back in his chair when something wet drips onto Ray’s pants. Ryan shudders, hair drenched and dripping as he quickly whips up, Gavin standing there with an empty water bottle. “The scene had rain.”

Ryan slicks back his hair slowly, Ray fixing his glasses as Ryan chases Gavin out of the room. Ray takes off after them, wanting to see what Ryan is going to do. Ray finds the two of them outside, Gavin squealing as Ryan pins him to the ground. Ryan’s eyes are bright with excitement as he looks at Ray. “Get me the hose, will you?”

“Anything for the king.” Ray unwinds the hose and brings it over to Ryan who grabs it and points it at Gavin. “Full blast?”

“Full blast.” Ray cranks the water on and Gavin squawks, flailing as Ryan douses him in cold water. Gavin manages to knock the hose so it sprays over Ryan's chest momentarily, giving him the opportunity to wiggle out of Ryan’s grip. Ray turns the hose off and winds it back up, laughing loudly as Michael holds up his phone, getting it all on video. Geoff is keeled over with laughter, Gavin pouting and looking like a cat caught in the rain, Jack on the same boat as Geoff. Ryan turns to Ray, mischievous smile on his face as he advances.

“Nope, you stay there, don’t even think about it.” Ray steps to the side, squeaking and taking off as Ryan bolts, grabbing Ray with the waist and stopping Ray from getting away, Ray giggling and playfully slapping at Ryan’s arms. Ray’s back presses against Ryan’s chest and he can feel water seeping into his shirt. “Ryan you’re getting me all wet!” Ryan turns Ray around, one hand on the small of Ray’s back, the other cupping Ray’s chin as he tips Ray’s head up, kissing him softly. Ray’s eyes flutter closed and his hands slide over Ryan’s wet shirt, slipping around Ryan’s neck as he grabs a fistful of Ryan’s hair. Ryan licks at Ray’s lips and he opens his mouth obediently, Ryan tracing his tongue over the roof of Ray’s mouth, Ray giggling at the sensation but going boneless. Ray hears a wolf whistle and he flips them all off, letting Ryan kiss him until he doesn’t remember why Ryan’s shirt is wet and why Gavin is soaked.

~*~

Ray politely requests that the last part be cut from the end product, for both their privacy while they figure out exactly what they want to be and because no one needs to see a couple of dudes making out in a parking lot. Ray is nervous to ask, but he finally manages to get the courage one night when Ryan comes over and they order takeout, playing xbox while talking about their days (even though they both know already).

“Hey Ryan?”

“Hmm?” Ryan looks from the screen, pausing the game when he sees Ray’s expression. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I just, I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead then.” Ryan looks curious, and Ray continues before he chickens out.

“Are you gay?” Ryan looks contemplative, shrugging his shoulders in a passive gesture.

“I’ve never thought I was. It never really mattered, but if I had to say I was something I would say that I’m bisexual.”

“That’s a relief, now I don’t feel bad about doing this.” Ray climbs into Ryan’s lap, planting his lips on Ryan’s firmly. Ryan doesn’t even hesitate, dropping his controller and grabbing at Ray’s hips, kissing back with a hungry enthusiasm. Ray runs his fingers through Ryan’s hair, tugging at the strands lightly to tip his head back for a better angle. Ray presses forward insistently, barely waiting for Ryan’s lips to part before Ray’s tongue is slipping past his teeth, curling and moving with Ryan’s. Ryan groans into Ray’s mouth, a hand slipping up under Ray’s shirt as fingers dance along the curve of his spine and tracing the little bumps as Ryan sucks on Ray’s tongue.

Ray enjoys the way that Ryan kisses, confident and unashamed of how he likes to kiss, with tongue and teeth and teasing caresses. Ryan also kisses softly though, just a mere whisper of contact that’s more about the feeling of intimacy surrounding them than anything else. Ray barely notices the music on loop from their forgotten game, all he can concentrate on is Ryan’s lips and the fingers that trail over his skin, running along the bumps of his spine, the flat plane of his stomach, the dimples on his back.  With every kiss and slow caress of Ryan’s fingers Ray finds it harder and harder to breathe, to think, and he’s whimpering against Ryan’s mouth. They part with a gasp from both of them, Ryan resting his forehead against Ray’s. “Breathe, I don’t want you to pass out on me.”

“You’re the one that’s leaving stuff on my desk, aren’t you?”

“That’s kind of obvious by now. Of course I am.”

“Why?” Ryan runs fingers through Ray’s hair, tickling the back of Ray’s neck before playing with the hair at the back of his head.

“Because you needed it. You needed to know that you’re important to everyone, so I started leaving little gifts. It was actually the other guys’ idea to start leaving sticky notes, and pretty soon the whole building was in on it. They’d give me things to write along with my own things.” Ryan bumps his nose against Ray’s smiling softly as Ray’s eyes glimmer with tears.

“Ryan the leaving notes guy.” Ray jokes quietly, choked up over how much the others care for him. Ray loves the slow laugh that warms his heart as Ryan kisses Ray’s cheeks, catching a few stray tears. "I never thanked you for what you did for me."

"You don't need to. It's what friends do."

"I think it's safe to say we're more than friends." Ryan chuckles and places a warm kiss on Ray's forehead.

"We are, but you'd still be my friend regardless."

Ray nods, eyes closed as he relaxes. "Thank you, Ryan. For everything."

"You're welcome, Ray."

**  
  
  
  
  
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End file.
